Compassion for the Lost

Sharing Jesus without Fear part 2

Compassion for the Lost  

Compassion is defined as “Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.”

Introduction

“We live in a postmodern world in which moral relativism is the rule of the day. Some may even assert that the time for presenting absolute truth is passé, that we can no longer give hard answers; we can only ask questions. But I disagree.
It is always time to present the truth of the gospel, regardless of the trends of contemporary culture. "Truth is truth, and lies are lies."
That is what we need to remember. And we also need to remember that God's Word will never return void.
As a church, we face a huge challenge in taking the gospel to our generation. Technology is exploding before our very eyes, generating unprecedented opportunities. Doors are open for sharing the gospel that will not necessarily stay that way. Opportunities must be seized or lost forever.
Billy Graham has said, "The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men and nations is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation, and we cannot bear full responsibility for the next one. But we do have our generation. God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfill our responsibilities to this age and take advantage of our opportunities."
We are all called to bring the gospel to our culture today. There are no exceptions. But many of us, if we were honest, would admit that we are not doing that.
There may be a number of reasons, maybe even excuses, as to why we are not sharing the gospel, ranging from a fear of failure to a lack of concern. Some may feel they do not know how to start or finish such a task.
Often times the most zealous evangelists are new converts. When a person comes to Christ, he has an acute awareness that everyone around him is lost. Many of us have lost that awareness after our first few years of being a Christian and many of us do not have the passion for the lost.” By Greg Laurie

How can we cultivate the compassion for the lost?

1. Be consistent in Bible reading

See what it says about sin, sinners, hell, death, judgment, and salvation.  These are some of the truths about the need to reach the lost

What does Satan desire to do to lost people (John 8:44)?

44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 What does Satan do in the lives of lost people (Ephesians 2:3)?

3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

 How does Satan control lost people (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

What is Satan seeking to do (1 Peter 5:8)

 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Satan binds lost people through the chains of sin.  He blinds them through his lies.  He longs to damn them to hell forever.  The only hope that the lost have is believers who will plead for them.  Satan laughs at our plans and our programs.  But, he trembles when believers pray. He cannot stand against the power of God that is released through prayer.

Many believe that all religion lead to heaven.  Just be sincere.

Ask God to show you in a fresh way that the lost are bound by Satan and that he desires to damn them forever in hell.  Ask Him to convict you deeply that prayer is the most powerful weapon that you have against Satan and his plans.

The Certainty of Judgment

Read Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 10:28; Luke 13:1-3.

What two things are going to happen to every person (Hebrews 9:27)?

27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

What will God do to those who reject Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:28)?

28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

What must a person do to escape hell (Luke 13:1-3)? Repent or Perish

 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
It is an unpleasant subject. Yet, it is as certain and as sure as God Himself is. Lost people who die in their sin will be judged by God and cast into hell. Because they rejected Jesus Christ, they will forever face the wrath of God. This is going to happen. It is an unchanging, absolute certainty.
Plead with God to grant you a fresh reminder of God's judgment. Pray that He will break your heart and move you to pray and witness because of peoples' eternal destiny apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Gospel is the message of who Jesus is, why He came, how he died, and how He rose again.

2.  Be imitators of Jesus’ compassion for the lost and to understand the value of a soul

 Luke 15:1-7 

 1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
          Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had 100 sheep and one went astray. What did the shepherd do? Did he say, "Win a few; lose a few, too bad?" No. He left the 99 and went after that one sheep. You see, God doesn't just value multitudes; He values individuals. He values the human soul.
          He values you and He values me. Yet in our culture today, we often place the greatest value on that which, for the most part, has no value. Meanwhile, we completely ignore that which has the greatest value. Is anything worth more than a soul? The answer, obviously, is no. God values the human soul and so should we!

In Matthew 9:35-38 35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Here in the passage shows us:

How Jesus felt about the crowds (v.35)?

Why did Jesus feel such compassion (v.35)?

What do you instruct us to do (v. 38)

Ask yourself today, how often do you think about the spiritual needs of others?

When Jesus looked at the crowds, He didn't see just a mass of people. He saw lost, hurting people in need of a Savior. When you look at others, you need to see them as Jesus did-lost, hurting, and in need of a Savior.

This leads us to the third point

3. Plead today for the eyes of Jesus

 Ask that you will see the spiritual needs of others. Pray that His compassion for the lost will be released in your life

 Ask Him to help you see the world as He sees it, and to lay upon your heart a handful of people for whom you can earnestly pray. Then pray over those names every day. Keep a little prayer list, and pray for an opportunity of reaching these souls for Christ. An old song says, "Lord, lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me; / And may I humbly do my part to win that soul to Thee."

1 Peter 3:15

“15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 
Acts 17:16-17 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

Romans 9:1-3 1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race

Conclusion
All believers are responsible to have a passion for the lost. John Harper had such a passion. He was a newly called pastor to the great Moody Church in Chicago in the early 1900s. His character came to the attention of the Christian world in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Shortly after the ship struck an iceberg, Harper was leaning against a rail, pleading with a young man to come to Christ. Four years after the ship's sinking, a young Scotsman rose in a meeting and said he was a survivor of the Titanic. As he drifted in the water on a piece of wood, he came across John Harper, who was afloat on a piece of wreckage. Harper pleaded for the young man to receive Christ. The young man refused. The tide brought Harper around again, and Harper asked if he was saved yet. Shortly after, Harper disappeared into the water, and the young man decided to trust Christ as Savior. At the meeting he identified himself as John Harper's last convert.

Brothers and sisters, can we not be the John Harpers of this generation?